This attractive set
of Britten’s five Canticles is
worth acquiring not only for its musical
worth, but also for its value as a snapshot
of the intimate vehicles he wrote throughout
his life with Peter Pears in mind. The
Canticles are sparely written, sketched
from emotional, striking texts that
the singers present with minimal instrumental
accompaniment.

The first is the shortest,
and was written for the tenth anniversary
of the death of Dick Sheppard (1880-1937),
a minister who founded the Peace Pledge
Union. The touching text is by poet
Francis Quarles (1592-1644), who was
inspired by the Song of Solomon.
The flowing vocal line and piano part
eventually give way to some canonic
interplay, and then the work ends in
simplicity. With great sensitivity,
Philip Langridge and Steuart Bedford
establish right away that this is a
recording to savor.

The second Canticle
is taken from a Chester Miracle Play
called Histories of Lot and Abraham,
and was originally performed by Pears
and Kathleen Ferrier. The hushed, somber
opening eventually becomes more florid.
Langridge is joined here by Jean Rigby,
and both sing with wonderful ardor,
intertwining with each other in heartfelt
lyricism. Bedford’s piano rises to the
occasion in dramatic form as the singers
intone, "to this deed I am sorrye."
As the piece closes, the singers join
together to depict the voice of God,
heard softly in the distance.

Number 3 is
dedicated to Noel Mewton-Wood, an Australian
pianist who committed suicide. Interestingly,
the Canticle was eventually embedded
in a larger work, The Heart of the
Matter, and Peter Pears revised
the entire scene in 1983, into its present
form. Using "Still Falls the
Rain" by Edith Sitwell, the
piece bears some resemblance in its
texture to Britten’s opera The Turn
of the Screw, composed just prior
to this work. Frank Lloyd contributes
a ripe horn tone, blooming around the
voice of the wonderful Dame Judi Dench,
who is in fine form in the prominent
spoken parts. One minor caveat: of the
five Canticles, I found this
one perhaps the most difficult to listen
to when one is in the mood for music.
It’s altogether lovely, but with the
prominent spoken parts, it’s more like
attending a poetry reading, albeit one
given by an unusually capable actor.

The fourth uses a well-known
poem by T. S. Eliot, The Journey
of the Magi, which features Langridge
with Gerald Finley and Derek Lee Ragin
in a mellifluous blend as the singers
portray the three wise men, doubting
themselves years after their journey
in search of Christ. Bedford sounds
particularly wonderful here, when at
the climax, he delivers a moving plainchant
in the piano part. The harmonies have
a hesitant, tenuous quality, reflecting
the three men’s questioning and doubts.

The Death of Saint
Narcissus, the fifth and final work,
has an unusually sober tone and perhaps
the most transparent texture of the
lot, with the voice accompanied solely
by harp. Here the instrumentalist is
the superb Osian Ellis, for whom the
piece was originally written. The text’s
slightly masochistic language, also
by Eliot, is as piercing as the arrows
that bring down the title character.

What these works share
is an unusually spare texture. Throughout
the five works, Philip Langridge sings
with glowing intimacy, accompanied by
Steuart Bedford in outstanding form
on the piano. The recorded sound is
excellent, with a slight resonance adding
presence to the artists’ intimacy. My
only serious complaint is that the booklet
is somewhat strangely edited, omitting
the texts to the fourth and fifth Canticles
completely – particularly regrettable
given the high quality of the words.
However, Langridge’s diction is so clear
that English-speaking listeners can
still grasp the texts. But overall,
this is a recommendable recording for
those who are inclined toward these
unusually intense works, and certainly
fans of either the singer or the pianist/conductor
should not hesitate.

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